A judge in Michigan ruled Tuesday Robert F. Kennedy Jr. must remain on the ballot in the state, despite his attempts to remove himself as a candidate after he dropped his presidential bid.
Kennedy withdrew from the race last month and endorsed former President Donald Trump after a long effort — backed by a number of lawsuits — to appear on ballots across the nation. He has since waged a tactical battle to remove his name from key swing states, amid concerns his appearance could pull votes from Trump.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said late last month that state law prohibits minor-party candidates from removing themselves from the ballot once they’ve been selected as their party’s nominee. Kennedy qualified for the Michigan ballot after being nominated by the Natural Law Party.
But Kennedy sued on Friday, saying the state’s votes could be “diminished and rendered invalid” if he remained on the ballot.
Michigan Court of Claims Judge Christopher Yates rejected that request.
“Elections are not just games, and [Benson] is not obligated to honor the whims of candidates for public office,” Yates wrote in his decision.
The Detroit Free Press notes that Kennedy could file an appeal.
Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images
One of Kennedy’s attorneys told The Associated Press that keeping Kennedy’s name on the ballot would upend “ballot integrity.” And Kennedy himself said on Fox News on Tuesday that he was trying to get off the ballot in any state where he might be a “spoiler and cause harm to President Trump.”
Kennedy is not attempting to remove himself from ballots everywhere, and is actively trying to remain on the ballot in some jurisdictions, like New York.
Trump’s allies have attacked election officials in swing states that have ruled Kennedy must remain on the ballot. Former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani called Benson “corrupt” in a tweet this week, claiming she had engaged in “election interference” in an attempt to keep the former president out of the White House.
Benson fired back on X, noting once again that once a candidate from a minor party is nominated, they are not allowed to withdraw.
Hi @RudyGiuliani 👋
I know you’re no longer a licensed attorney because you made several “demonstrably false and misleading statements” about the 2020 election, so allow me to clarify Michigan law for you.
MCL 168.686a(4): Candidates who are nominated and accept a minor party’s… https://t.co/b2BHtWx3jT
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) September 3, 2024